Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Charles E. Sellier Jr.

Writers:

Paul Caimi (story)
Michael Hickey (writer)

Release Date:

9 November 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

You've made it through Halloween, now try and survive Christmas

Plot:

After his parents are murdered, a young tormented teenager goes on a murderous rampage dressed as Santa, due to his stay at an orphanage where he was abused by the Mother Superior.

Plot Keywords:

Orphanage | Killing | Sex | Mother | Young Boy

Cast

Lilyan Chauvin	...	Mother Superior
Gilmer McCormick	...	Sister Margaret
Toni Nero	...	Pamela
Robert Brian Wilson	...	Billy Chapman (age 18)
Britt Leach	...	Ira Sims
Nancy Borgenicht	...	Mrs. Randall
H.E.D. Redford	...	Captain Richards
Danny Wagner	...	Billy Chapman (age 8)
Linnea Quigley	...	Denise
Leo Geter	...	Tommy
Randy Stumpf	...	Andy
Will Hare	...	Grandpa Chapman
Tara Buckman	...	Ellie Chapman
Geoff Hansen	...	Jim Chapman (as Jeff Hansen)
Charles Dierkop	...	Killer Santa
Eric Hart	...	Mr. Levitt
Jonathan Best	...	Billy Chapman (age 5) (as Jonathon Best)
A. Madeline Smith	...	Sister Ellen
Amy Styvesant	...	Cindy (as Amy Stuyvesant)
Max Robinson	...	Officer Barnes
Vinc Massa	...	Doug (as Vince Massa)
John Michael Alvarez	...	Jim (as Michael Alvarez)
John Bishop	...	Bob
Richard C. Terry	...	Mac (as Richard Terry)
Oscar Rowland	...	Dr. Conway
Richard D. Clark	...	Officer Miller
Tip Boxell	...	Officer Murphy
Angela Montoya	...	Little Girl on Santa's Lap
Molly Cameron	...	Girl's Mother (as Mollie Cameron)
Jayne Luke	...	Other Mother #1
Joan Forster	...	Other Mother #2 (as Joan S. Forster)
Betsy Nagel	...	Other Mother #3
Barbara Stafford	...	Girl Teen Lover at Orphanage
Paul Mulder	...	Boy Teen Lover at Orphanage
Spencer Ashby	...	Santa at Orphanage
J. Paul Broadhead	...	Santa in Store
Alex Burton	...	Ricky Chapman (age 14)
Max Broadhead	...	Ricky Chapman (age 4)
Melissa Best	...	Infant Ricky Chapman
Dan Rogers	...	Dispatcher
Spencer Alston	...	Child at Orphanage
Kristi Ballard	...	Child at Orphanage
Jacob Peterson	...	Child at Orphanage
Jonathan Wilde	...	Child at Orphanage
Susie Massa	...	Child at Orphanage
Sarah Stuyvesant	...	Child at Orphanage
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Aron Kincaid	...	Obnoxious Deejay (uncredited)
Judith Roberts	...	Mother Superior (uncredited)
Jean-Paul Rodrigues	...	Child in Orphanage (uncredited)
Micheline Rodrigues	...	Child in Orphanage (uncredited)
Monique Rodrigues	...	Child in Orphanage (uncredited)
Don Shanks	...	Santa Climbing in Window (uncredited)

Directed by
Charles E. Sellier Jr.

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Paul Caimi		story
Michael Hickey		writer

Produced by
Ira Richard Barmak	....	producer
Scott Schneid	....	executive producer (as Scott J. Schneid)
Dennis Whitehead	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Perry Botkin Jr.		(as Perry Botkin)

Cinematography by
Henning Schellerup

Film Editing by
Michael Spence

Casting by
Stanzi Stokes

Production Design by
Dian Perryman

Art Direction by
Linda Kiffe

Set Decoration by
Linda Kiffe

Makeup Department
Judee Guilmette	....	assistant makeup artist
Perri Sorel	....	hair stylist
Perri Sorel	....	makeup artist
Karl Wesson	....	special makeup effects artist
Richard N. McGuire	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)
Susan Reyes	....	assistant special effects makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Bart Foster	....	production manager
Denis L. Stewart	....	unit manager (as Denis Stewart)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Perry Husman	....	second assistant director
Michael Spence	....	second unit director
Denis L. Stewart	....	first assistant director

Art Department
John Bateman	....	assistant props
Terry Haskell	....	construction supervisor
Terry Haskell	....	property master
Jim Stoddard	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Chris Carpenter	....	sound re-recording mixer
Flash Deros	....	boom operator
Mel Metcalfe	....	sound re-recording mixer
Dean Okrand	....	sound re-recording mixer
Terry Porter	....	sound re-recording mixer
Rod Sutton	....	sound mixer
Bill Wistrom	....	supervising sound editor
James Bailey	....	foley artist (uncredited)
Michael Keenan	....	sound department assistant (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Rick Josephsen	....	special effects
G. Lynn Maughan	....	special effects assistant (as Lynn Maughan)

Stunts
Frank L. Bare II	....	stunt coordinator (as Frank Bare)
Jeff Chumas	....	stunts
Doug Coleman	....	stunt double
Eliza Coleman	....	stunt double
Lisa Resendez	....	stunts
Don Shanks	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Billy Dickson	....	camera operator (as Bill Dickson)
John Farr	....	grip
Joseph Gutt	....	first assistant camera (as Joe Gutt)
Bruce Hamme	....	gaffer
Scott Howell	....	second assistant camera
Dennis Jorgenson	....	electrician
Kim Kono	....	grip
Richard A. Mitchell	....	best boy (as Rick Mitchell)
Rebecca Poulos	....	second assistant camera
Bill Sellier	....	still photographer
Arly H. Thomsen	....	key grip (as Arly Thomsen)

Casting Department
Marcia Reider	....	casting: Utah
Debra Rubinstein	....	casting assistant (as Debbie Rubinstein)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Patricia Duran	....	assistant wardrobe
Verkina Flower	....	wardrobe
Jim Manson	....	assistant wardrobe

Editorial Department
Simon Gittins	....	assistant editor
Mark W. Rosenbaum	....	associate editor (as Mark Rosenbaum)

Music Department
Adam Milo Smalley	....	music editor (as Adam Smalley)

Transportation Department
Jim O'Keefe	....	transportation captain
John Orlebeck	....	driver
Field Smith	....	driver
Vikki Williams	....	driver

Other crew
Eugene Barmak	....	assistant to producer
Steve Bennett	....	caterer
Martin Combs	....	security coordinator
Eric Grosshan	....	extras assistant
Andy Howard	....	production auditor
Janet Johnson	....	production coordinator
Connie Kruger	....	business affairs
Solomon J. LeFlore	....	production financing
Julie Magnuson	....	assistant: Mr. Sellier
Joy Mendenhall	....	production secretary
Patricia Motyka	....	script supervisor
Cate Praggastis	....	extras coordinator
Jamie Reeves	....	set mechanic
Marcia Reider	....	dialogue coach: children
Bill Sellier	....	emergency medical technician
Garth Wilkinson	....	location manager
Tom Willett	....	craft service

Production Companies

• TriStar Pictures
• Slayride

Distributors

• TriStar Pictures (1984) (USA) (theatrical)
• Aquarius Releasing (1984) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Antoniana Home Video (Italy) (VHS)
• Avid Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (video)
• Future Film (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• Indies Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• International Video Entertainment (IVE) (1987) (USA) (video)
• Live Video (video)
• Lumina-Films (1986) (Belgium) (video)
• MRA Entertainment Group (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Showtime (????) (Finland) (VHS)
• USA Home Video (II) (1986) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Slayride (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

79 min | USA:85 min (uncut version) | Belgium:96 min (video version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1989) | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | New Zealand:R18 | Finland:K-18 (2007) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Italy:T (DVD rating) | Italy:VM18 (video rating, cut) | Australia:R | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Heber City, Utah, USA

Company:

TriStar Pictures

Trivia:

The title "Slay Ride" actually ended up as a subplot in another film, the Disney holiday movie Ernest Saves Christmas (1988). In the Ernest film, the prospective Santa that Ernest was looking for was appearing in a horror film as a killer Santa in a film entitled "Slay Ride".

Quotes:

Grandpa: Santy Claus only brings presents to them that's been good all year. All the other ones, all the naughty ones, he punishes! What about you, boy? You been good all year?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Black Christmas (2006)

Soundtrack:

The Warm Side of the Door

An enjoyable and controversial 80s slasher.

I have to admit, there's a part of me that regards SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT as a great movie. It's cheesy and the idea of a killer Santa Claus is really in poor taste, I know, but this as well as other slasher films from this era are actually rather fun to watch for it's camp value. The terrible acting and dialog make it funny, and the murder sequences make it scary.

The film is about a boy named Billy who witnesses his parents being murdered by a man dressed as St. Nick himself. He's then sent to an orphanage where the Mother Superior constantly beats him for every little thing, and tries to get young Billy to appreciate Christmas. When he turns 18, on Christmas Eve he dresses up as Santa Claus as hacks people up with an ax screaming "punish!"

It's not surprising when this film was first released in Reagan America, that it was highly protested by parents saying that the image of a killer Santa Claus is too disturbing for children to watch. My answer: don't take your kid to see it! Wait until they grow up to find that there is no Santa Claus, they'll have to learn it somehow. But I guess that's why I wanted to see this: for the controversy.

It's not a "classic" slasher like THE Texas CHAINSAW MASSACRE and HALLOWEEN, but it's still a good relic from that era.